This ref should never be allowed to ref a game on any level. Once again a controversial goal but Senegal can hardly complain. their goal was complete [BLEEP]. What a bull [BLEEP] game. I will be pulling for any team who plays against this sorry [BLEEP] Senegal team from here on out. This is ridiculous. They should literally put 10 min of stoppage time for all the bull [BLEEP] they occur during this half.

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My thoughts on the England game..

First point: Ashley Young.. why play him at wingback? That's where he's played for the last couple of years at Manchester United and the season just gone is arguable his best yet. Southgate picked players on form and nothing else.. that's why he's there.

Second point: England may not have had their best performance to date, but something I saw in this side is something I haven't seen in an England side for about 20 years: They did NOT panic. When the penalty was conceded and converted, they carried on doing their thing knowing another chance would come. And it did.. several times, actually. Sure, they should have been out of sight by half time but they weren't.. they still didn't panic and on 91 minutes they got exactly what they deserved. It's frustrating and difficult to play against 10 defenders and a goalkeeper but they didn't let that get them down.

Third point: Nerves. The English main media are terrible for pinning hopes and blame on people. Take France 98 when Beckham received death threats for getting sent off against Argentina.. For such a young group of players, perhaps there were some nerves floating around to start with. This is their first competitive game as they are. They'll settle down now they have the first win under their belts. I'm not concerned, this England squad is young and exciting, I think they'll do ok.

Final point: second gear - I don't feel as though England had to get out of second gear. They have Panama next, then the big test where you will/should see a more polished performance against Belgium. Some may say that the second half performance was abject.. I think it was more professional than some may realise. It was common knowledge that the pitchside temperature was extremely high, why burn yourself out when you can pressurise without ruining the latter part of the tournament? Keep probing and you'll get your shot. No real injuries (Dele, perhaps?), a healthy squad going into games 2 & 3.

I would, personally, pretty much start the game against Panama with the same starting line up as which played Tunisia. I'd swap Dele for Loftus-Cheek and Sterling for Rashford but otherwise keep it the same. If we've qualified after that game, I'd rest some of the starters against Belgium with an eye on the last 16. That approach would also give the fringe players time to impress Southgate.

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Day 4:

Costa Rica 0-1 Serbia
Germany 0-1 Mexico (WOW!)
Brazil 1-1 Switzerland

Day 5:

Sweden 1-0 South Korea
Belgium 3-0 Panama
England 1-0 Tunisia

Day 6:

Columbia 1-2 Japan
Poland 1-2 Senegal
Russia 3-1 Egypt

Day 7:

Portugal 1-0 Morrocco
Uruguay 1-0 Saudi Arabia
Spain 1-0 Iran

I believe Morocco and Egypt are the first two teams to be mathematically eliminated?

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80% of what I talk about is nonesense.. the other 25% is made up statistics...


 

One of the Denmark players looks just like Jamie Lannister

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Wow. I know Argentina wasn't all that strong of a team right now, but Croatia absolutely crushed them.

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Wow. I know Argentina wasn't all that strong of a team right now, but Croatia absolutely crushed them.

Messi was right when he quit the team prior to the qualification tournament.

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Wow. I know Argentina wasn't all that strong of a team right now, but Croatia absolutely crushed them.

Messi was right when he quit the team prior to the qualification tournament.

It is a bit of a surprise. Funny because up until their gk made that aweful pass, they didn't look terrible. Messi looked out of it off the rip on this one

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That Croatian midfield looks very very strong.

They've impressed me more than any other team thus far!

Day 8:

Denmark 1-1 Australia
France 1-0 Peru
Croatia 3-0 Argentina

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80% of what I talk about is nonesense.. the other 25% is made up statistics...


 

That Croatian midfield looks very very strong.

They've impressed me more than any other team thus far!

Day 8:

Denmark 1-1 Australia
France 1-0 Peru
Croatia 3-0 Argentina

Modric and rakatic looked phenomenal. Wasn't rakatic on loan to psg this passed season?

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That Croatian midfield looks very very strong.

They've impressed me more than any other team thus far!

Day 8:

Denmark 1-1 Australia
France 1-0 Peru
Croatia 3-0 Argentina

Modric and rakatic looked phenomenal. Wasn't rakatic on loan to psg this passed season?

Nah Rakitic was at Barcelona, has been for a few years now..

Day 9:

Brazil 2-0 Costa Rica
Nigeria 2-0 Iceland
Serbia 1-2 Switzerland

So Nigeria have done Argentina a favour by beating Iceland.. if rumours are to be believed there's a lot of unrest in the Argentina camp, I'd imagine Argentina still fail to qualify for the round of 16.

Today's games intrigue me:

Beligium v Tunisia (in our group)
South Korea v Mexico (I'm not that bothered about)
Germany v Sweden - I'm interested to see how Germany bounce back from their defeat..

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80% of what I talk about is nonesense.. the other 25% is made up statistics...


 

Poor Sweden.... Props to Germany putting it all out there in the last minutes even down a man.

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Taking it to the top of the Modis building.  

Belgium seems to be playing the best ball of anyone right now. They have so many different scorers. Impossible to defend.

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Belgium seems to be playing the best ball of anyone right now. They have so many different scorers. Impossible to defend.

well considering the news leaking out about hazard and lukaku possibly being banged up and the way England is dismantling panama, I would say they may not even be the best in their group after the English get finished.

They came out swinging in this one. Kane looks fantastic. 

I was pretty critical of them after game one(and this is just panama) so ill be the first to admit, I may have been a little harsh and early to jump to conclusions. These boys look tough right now.

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I mean this has the makings of being a double digit win. It's 5-0 at half and they look like they are about to score again.










Dele alli is still a little punk. Sorry Darlo, i did have to say that.

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Man, before the tourny there was talk about either Tunisia or Panama possibly surprising Belgium or England but that hasn't happened at all. I think England especially got lucky with playing Tunisia and Panama before playing Belgium, they looked nervous in the first game and much better in the second. They're quietly growing into the tournament.

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I'm not sure if England or Belgium will even come out with everything they have in the next game because both of them are already through. But man it would be fun if they both had something on the line and would come out swinging. That would be a decent slug fest.

I know it is the WC and countries do not take it easy but if what some of the rumors are saying are true, It would be foolish for Belgium to risk injury(or further injury) in a game that doesn't really matter.

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England did what you’d probably expect them to do against Panama, but how many times have we seen them bottle it against weaker opposition?

Right now I don’t think it really matters who wins the final game between England and Belgium, but I guess it would give the winner some extra confidence.

And what if they draw? England and Belgium on goal difference and goals scored. Does it go down to their FIFA fair play rating?

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I'm not sure if England or Belgium will even come out with everything they have in the next game because both of them are already through. But man it would be fun if they both had something on the line and would come out swinging. That would be a decent slug fest.

I know it is the WC and countries do not take it easy but if what some of the rumors are saying are true, It would be foolish for Belgium to risk injury(or further injury) in a game that doesn't really matter.

By the looks of things they're playing either Japan or Senegal in the round of 16 and I don't think either Belgium or England is too worried about who of those two they face. Like you I think Belgium will rest some of their starters but if England are wise they'll attempt to ride the wave of optimism and go for the win.

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England did what you’d probably expect them to do against Panama, but how many times have we seen them bottle it against weaker opposition?

Right now I don’t think it really matters who wins the final game between England and Belgium, but I guess it would give the winner some extra confidence.

And what if they draw? England and Belgium on goal difference and goals scored.  Does it go down to their FIFA fair play rating?

Yes it does, in which England would then top the group (as it stands).

I know it was 'only Panama' but you can only beat who is put in front of you. I think we looked like scoring every time we went forward. I think the referee set a tone that I'm hoping will be followed from hereon in, giving penalties and yellow cards for blatant fouls and wrestling when off the ball.

I think the second half was a very good/professional performance, didn't need to push it, the game was already won. Shame about the goal conceded but you can't have it all.

Harry Kane being the competitions top scorer fills me with immense pride, and like Alan Shearer said in the BBC production "when they're going in off your heel as a deflection, you have to believe you're in luck!"..

I'd like to see us make some changes for the Belgium game, I'd like to see starts for Jamie Vardy, Trent Alexander-Arnold,  Marcus Rashford and Eric Dier.. just in case we need to call upon them in the latter stages of the tournament.

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80% of what I talk about is nonesense.. the other 25% is made up statistics...


 

Day 10:

Belgium 5-2 Tunisia
South Korea 1-2 Mexico
Germany 2-1 Sweden

Day 11:

England 6-1 Panama
Japan 2-2 Senegal
Columbia 3-0 Poland

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80% of what I talk about is nonesense.. the other 25% is made up statistics...


 

People dont believe in England and Belgium because they dont play as a team. They are 2 of the most talented collection of players in the world but they have never seemed to mesh well as a unit. Tunisia and Panama? Really? Haha who thought they would surprise the top dogs? MLS players against PL stars

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People dont believe in England and Belgium because they dont play as a team. They are 2 of the most talented collection of players in the world but they have never seemed to mesh well as a unit. Tunisia and Panama? Really? Haha who thought they would surprise the top dogs? MLS players against PL stars

Until now.. I think our team togetherness has turned a lot of heads..

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80% of what I talk about is nonesense.. the other 25% is made up statistics...